2009 Ways to say the Same Thing

 

The needle drops delicately

on that round piece of vinyl.

They meet and a sweet sound,

is so tenderly birthed.

You listen close, an invitation

you’re a part of the E St sound.

 

He’s asked us to rise up,

and if we needed help

he said “just raise your hand”

He sang out in concert,

his message, his sermon,

with the mighty E Street Band

 

He bathes the tramps in music,

and his lyric rings out,

helps take off our load.

It’s his songs that flow on.

and they drive us ahead,

deep into the darkness,

like River and Road.

 

You can stand on the boardwalk

in Asbury, near the pony of Stone.

Or be deep in the heartland,

held up with a belt filled up of bibles.

No matter where you may live,

you are in Bruce Springsteen’s nation.   

 

He’s asked us to rise up,

and if we needed help

he said “just raise your hand”

He sang out in concert,

his message, his sermon,

with the mighty E Street Band

 

He bathes the tramps in music,

and his lyric rings out

helps take off our load

It’s his songs that flow on

and they drive us ahead

deep into the darkness

like River and Road

My baby,

says doesn’t understand me

My flip flops

and the songs I sing

She just can’t see

the beach for the sand

 

She’s always asking the same old questions

why aren’t you working?

where’s the money?

and why’s the rum always gone?

 

she says

I'm in love with a Parrothead,

everyday to him is a Sunday

his feet in the sand,

stupid drink in his hand 

writing a book like He's Hemmingway

she says

This is New Jersey fool

it’s not Key West

I found your salt shaker,

it’s not 5 O’ Clock

Isn’t it time you give it a rest?

 

So I raise my glass

watch the hours pass

then I’m off sailing again

 

My heart

is at home on a sandy shore

My lifestyle

offers so much more

it’s never a bore

I live under the shady tree

 

 

 

 

I always tell her the same damn things

You know how much I love you

I think your mom she’s a winner

And why’s the rum always gone?

 

I said

You’re in love with a Parrothead

Life’s not just about a Monday

A punch of the clock

a wooly sheep in a flock

So here in the sand I will play

I said

You know damn well

what you got into

I’m not your dream boat man

hey look it’s 5 O’ clock

so go ahead and give it a rest

 

So I raise my glass

baby you can kiss my ass

today I’m going sailing again

 

I raise my glass

I’m done kissin ass,

I’m never doing this again

Go on, follow your path, put one foot in front of the other.

Winter is settling in, and it’s sure to be such a downer.

I know you’re not there, your eyes view me

but you just can’t keep them focused. 

 

Of course I can’t say I’ve lived no regrets

a jury of my legendary tragedies combined,

fly a flag of most treasured mistakes.

They push me forward, 

then drag me back.

I dance with the ghosts on Tragic Avenue

 

I’m not the one who felt terror trying to fake a tearful goodbye.

This is the product of too many things, so twisted, so torn, I’m surprised you even had the heart to notice.

You know you’ll never be free as long as you eat what they feed you.

Inside I’m hammered I’m square, ready to chase the devine.

 

Of course I can’t say I’ve lived no regrets

a jury of my legendary tragedies combined,

fly a flag of most treasured mistakes.

They push me forward, 

then drag me back.

I dance with the ghosts on Tragic Avenue

 

if my story is told

some day when I’m old

I want you to play your part

and if I am not there

they’ll still be fully aware

of the night that you tore me apart

 

Of course I can’t say I’ve lived no regrets

a jury of my legendary tragedies combined,

fly a flag of most treasured mistakes.

They push me forward, 

then drag me back.

I dance with the ghosts on Tragic Avenue

 

Tragic Avenue

on Tragic Avenue

 

 

The challenge of “Top Science Fiction Films” was put on my proverbial desk and I am up for the challenge.  Set your phasers to blog kids.

 

RnR’s Top 8, yes 8 Sci Fi Films

 

(8) To start us off my list is a film dripping with film history, often called ‘the Citizen Kane’ of puppet movies.  Muppets from Space is a proverbial masterpiece.  Right?  I can’t count how many times this classic got put in the DVD player working at Blockbuster because what we were supposed to watch “broke”.  This is Pepe the Prawn’s feature film debut btw.

(7) A lot of smack is talked about sequels and there is never a good one, blah, blah, blah.  Let’s talk about Superman II and it’s awesomeness shall we?  Superman?  Check.  Kick ass villain, General Zod?  Check.  Lois and Clark romance?  Hell yeah.  There are some missteps sure, but it’s still a great film.

 

(6) Star Wars, nuff said.  Oh and btw, when I was growing up it was simply ‘Star Wars’, no episodes and no hope in sight.  Deal with it Jar Jar lovers.

 

(5) “There is only ONE return, and it’s not the king, it’s of the JedI.  Yes it’s the cheesiest and yes there are ewoks but I’ll watch this one more than SW.  Luke kicks some serious ass, the entire Jabba opening owns, and shit blows up.

 

(4) The campiest film earns it’s spot on my countdown, Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks.  This is the silliest, corniest, most original take on aliens trying to take of the Earth I’ve seen.  I laugh, I cry, I eat pizza.  The celebrity cameos are out of this world, pun firmly intended.

 

(3) This are getting stressful by this point.  Number are being crunched and the threat level has been lifted to “nobody gives a shit.”  It’s Top 3 time. Which means we are on a journey to the Planet of the Apes.  The top 3 here could really all switch spots depending on my mood but this is where they are today.  And when I say Apes, I mean Heston apes, not Tim Burton apes.  Burton has never made anything to make it on my countdown (*).  PoTA is sci fi (there are rocket ships), its fun (look, the apes are human like), political (Dr. Zaius reminds me of a wiser Dick Cheny), and has a tremendous script with lots of famous quotes (you already know them).  Doesn’t take much more to be a classic for me.

 

(2) I will tell you I do NOT know kung fu.  However, Neo does and Neo is the one…..err two I guess.  La Matrixo hacks it’s way just shy of number 1.  LOVE this movie.  Didn’t catch it till like 4 years after all the hype and couldn’t believe how much thought was in it.  Religion, philosophy, politics, and bullet dodging all in one place in an easy to access package.  This film deserves more hype than it gets.

 

(1) If you are the thinking type, and I doubt it if you read my drivle, then you already know what number 1 is.  Say it with me.  Schindler’s List.  What a Sci Fi epic.  Good lord.  Liem Niesen gives such a great performance.  The opening battle is just something that needs to be seen.  The drama and intrigue, along with the big reveal at the end makes this film unforgettable.  THIS is my favorite movie of all time.

 

Oh I am sorry, Number 1 is The Empire Strikes Back.

 

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1906049,00.html?xid=rss-topstories


 

It sounds to me so simple

this word we have, this “freedom”

It tells me I can go out in the street

and dance within the rain

 

To others it’s a war cry

a way of living, to speak up, to die for

The children they need a purpose

all of this fighting isn’t in vain

 

So I say Neda

fallen rose among the glass

shattered and broken

and though it’s unspoken

your voice,

your cry,

will be forever heard

 

It looks just like a nightmare

this battle that rages, this “protest”

It tells me the streets they are flooded

and the children are dying in pain

 

To my friends it’s an alarm

wake up call we needed, rise up

This is one story we all write together

and this author will fight till no more are slain.

 

So I say Neda

fallen rose among the glass

shattered and broken

and though it’s unspoken

your voice,

your cry,

will be forever heard

 

 

You’ve wandered off the comfort of the paved path

to this off the map, shore location.

A spilled martini glass

awaits you within the tides of the shimmering sea.

Being penned here are the

chronicles of Dr. John Wayne Hemingway

and the Gypsy Dynamite.

Adventurous phrases and scenes

are scattered and mixed within the sands of these waters.

Words flow in, then back out

like a wave full of sweet, tender lies.

Welcome prospective members to the most esteemed of

insignificant secret societies.

 

Top shelf talk,

bottom rung living.

Here they compose tales of pirates,

those of beggars and thieves.

Rapscallion rum runners and

princesses stolen from far off lands abound.

Their home is here in the sands

whether roof, door, or walls

are abundant or even available.

The pencil of their picture perfect

masterpiece is likely a stolen one.

A remnant of the last hotel whose bill

they chased the dawn to avoid.

 

the Gypsy Dynamite is off on a boat

somewhere in her mind.

The ocean holds as few bounds

as her perpetually over-active thought process.

It may be in her head but

she dreams it anyway.

Dr. Hemmingway is

heaven sent,

hammock bound.

His robust imagination holds a fantastical story,

the next great American tale.

He’ll find it dancing right behind is bloodshot eyes,

threatening to rival his stolen namesake’s own work.

“Gypsy, I’ve got it my dear,” the words tumble

off his rum ravaged breath.

“Monte Carlo my old friend, the royal suite.

You, me, the band and we’ll even get us a dog.

Our fortune awaits us, it’s calling us home.”

She smiles fondly at him as he fades between the trees,

a sea shell bra hung around his sunburned chest.

 

“I think my sanity has gone insane,”

not something uncommon

to hear amongst this rag tag group of hedonistic nobles.

Their spirits were born in the air of the Keys

floating along the scents of the summer breeze.

Amerigo, Atlantis, heaven,

locations near, far, some indescribable.

 

There is a rather old saying,

something about a man being young at heart.

Well this band of fools and kings

are far more inclined to be “rich at heart.”

Their bank accounts are emptier than their

shattered tequila bottles, and far more bitter.

Still they sip from the top shelf.

They dance in the grandest of balls

as if the bill collectors were not

the same as the sharks

circling near the shoreline.

 

“Dr. have you ever been to the

tropical rainforest?” the Gypsy Dynamite ponders.

“Sweet child I rescued a village of pygmies

in the rain forest, a story you should recall.

It was glorious. Let’s do go back and teach

the tribe magnificent words and customs.”

The supposed Dr. always bought into her

reckless schemes no matter the cost.

Still their brush strokes are so vivid,

the chosen colors stark and bold.

One cannot help but be drawn into the

fire in their wild eyed follies.

That is what brought me to this island.

And that is the wave

that landed you here as well.

Shall I draw up club applications?

No, of course not.

You’re already quite accepted into

this exotic brethren.

The crazy ones always are.

regards,

the Courier

 

 

 

 

As most dreams do this one fades in and out of focus.  One minute a scene is taking place as if it’s on the big movie screen in stunning high definition.  The next is muddier and harder to picture.  Either way he’s not sleeping very well.  Thoughts of her dance in and out of consciousness as he tosses and turns in the river of the dark night.

 

As he watches her, her grace, her beauty he knows that she doesn’t realize who he is.  That’s a fact that is shared in the real world as well.  He doesn’t take the time to care, he’s just blessed to have the opportunity to be in her presence.  He is just happy to see that she is well, a real live woman.  All at once the final scene approaches; it’s at the airport.  An unspoken destination is voiced, not one he is familiar with.  They will not be traveling together. The visions start to come apart at the edges and once again she is lost to him.  Once again she is gone in the night.  And now with the dream concluded, as it is in the real air and wind of life, she doesn’t know that that man is her father.

 

 

We start off with NUMBER 10 and I present to you The Bride from Kill Bill.  Uma Thurman brings it as one of the most kick ass female characters of all time.   Slashing things w a samurai sword to me is always hot but she turns up the heat.

 

NUMBER 9 has a little red on him because the Shaun in Shaun of the Dead is an average Tom/Dick/and Harry with a needy woman, gassy friend, who finds himself in the middle of a zombie invasion.  When that day does come I hope I am this witty.

 

All good heroes should have Boomsticks.  And catchphrases.  So look no further than Army of Darkness’ Ash as portrayed by Bruce Campbell who‘s NUMBER 8.  One hand is a shotgun, one is a chainsaw.  Groovy.

 

Now we’re getting to real meat of the list.  I am sure you were looking for Indiana Jones and you get him at NUMBER 7.  This iconic character screams charm and action.  Chaction.  One part bad ass, one part 5 O’clock shadow, two parts ladies man, all parts awesome.

 

Jesus himself could be at NUMBER 6 on my list but he’s not.  However Luke Skywalker is.  I bring up comparison because other than laser swords and wookies (also the name of my new band) Luke and Jesus follow a similar “heroes path.”  Missing/omnipotent father.  Grew up in desert.  Messiah complex.  Luke would be higher but…..

 

He’s not so much the ladies man, and if you know me, I admire those good with the women’s.  So his good buddy and sort of scoundrel Han Solo ups him by one spot, coming in at NUMBER 5.  If you shave Indiana Jones and make him even more charming you’ll see why Han smuggled his way this far up the list.

 

You need to go way back to 1927 to find NUMBER 4.  Yes they made movies back then.  Johnny Gray from the silent film The General epitomizes hero to me.  Buster Keaton’s comedic portrayal of a man trying to rescue both his girl and his prized locomotive is genius.  A good guy just trying to save his love(s).  I like that.

 

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than The General’s locomotive, NUMBER 3 is you guessed it, Superman.  He’s the perfect hero.  No flaws.  And he can fly.

 

You must remember this….Casablanca is one of the finest cinematic masterpieces of our lifetime.  As is my NUMBER 2  At the center of that is Rick Blaine, the brooding bar owner played by Humphrey Bogart.  What a performance!  He seems such tough guy, and he is, but at appropriate times in the film he shows his true heart.

 

With all of the choices available, and all the one’s I had swimming in my head when coming up with this list you will be surprised with my NUMBER 1 choice.  You see it’s no man, or woman, or lagoon creature.

He does have his own film, named after him in which he discovers love for the first time.  A feeling he’s never know before.  He crosses the universe to save his dearest risking life and limb, almost giving up both.  He never gives up, he never quits.  What a character!  There is and will only ever be one Wall-E.

 

I won't tell if you don't

She’s gotta be leaving

or is she already gone?

A day’s worth of promises

Don’t mean a single thing

When the night it fades to dawn

 

I’m wishing

I’m silently wishing

that she doesn’t feel the pain.

In the wind my prayer blows

but our time gets taken

like the grass drinks up the rain

 

My fists are raised 

as I fight off destiny

And I go toe to toe

My heart is screaming

and I hope she hears it

as her love walks out the door

 

She’s leaving

She’s definitely leaving

And I know she’s already gone.

I hope she thinks of me,

the laughs and love and time shared

that could only last so long.

 

My tears are falling

as I think of history

So little I did know

Her heart is everything

its all I hold now

as my love walks out the door

 

Yes, in fact this is a new impoetry vs Get Fuzzy below.  Enjoy.

My Tuesday column:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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